God's Favorite Music Is...

Christian death metal! No? Doesn't sound right, does it? But seriously, I think all of us Christians have encountered someone (or maybe it was ourselves) who has questioned or believed whether certain genres of Christian music are holy or pleasing to God. There are some who say that Christian metal/rock and rap is unholy and sinful. There are some who say that praise and worship music is unholy. Some even believe that hymns are unholy and displeasing to God. Some denominations, such as sects of the Church of Christ, believe that musical instruments are the devil's tool. Obviously these people are either putting too much of their own opinion "behind the scriptures" that they say support this, or they simply haven't been reading their Bibles.

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, please allow me to introduce to you Psalm 150:
Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

Hmmmm! Sounds to me like it is saying "Praise the Lord with music and dance and be heard". The main point can be summed up into one word: PRAISE. My wife's grandfather (his name is "Pa" by the way) told her something that she told me and it rings true to this day. "If you are not certain that it is Christian, then it is not Christian". How true is this! If the artist that you are listening to doesn't mention Christ or have any praises in His name, then this is what you need to watch out for. If they are truly Christian, then they will obviously have no trouble mentioning His name or glorifying Him in their songs. You also need to watch out for what kind of fruit that those musician trees are producing. It's hard to see Christ in a Christian musical artist who either sings about things other than Him, or sings in a way that you cannot understand what they are saying. How can the lost benefit from that? Or how can those who are consumed by the world benefit from Christian artists who dress like sinners and cover their bodies with tattoos and piercings and even lead personal lives of abuse and scandal? If holiness is void, then one would not know the change that can result from knowing Christ. I believe that this is the only example of Christian music that would be displeasing to our Lord.

Now I'm not saying that it is a sin to listen to secular music. That's between you and God. However, if your three meals per day is nothing more than junk food, soda, and candy, then a slow death it will be. Not to mention you will see a lot of spiritual health complications on the downward spiral. It is much the same with secular entertainment. Your soul thrives on what you feed it. If it is being fed with foul language and debauchery, then what will your mind and heart have an abundance of? A fellow that I work with listens to a local pop station. I used to be subjected to his music everyday and as anyone knows, modern pop music is full of graphic sexual content, language, and alcohol abuse. As these singers would sing about their graphic sexual encounters, I would have images appear in my mind that would haunt and torment me for the remainder of the day. Thank God for my MP3 player! But this is an example of what feeding your soul secular junk can do. Another reason why I don't believe you will burn for listening to secular music is that when I was saved, the Holy Spirit came into me and was doing great works within. But, even though God was making me new, for years I was still listening to secular heavy metal. At this point in my salvation, I do not believe that I would have burned in Hell if I had died because of what I listened to. Eventually, through the Holy Spirit, I felt that the music was leaving emptiness within me that I only could find fulfillment in with Christian music. Now I cannot bear to listen to the sex, drugs, and rock and roll because it corrupts my passion for He who has called me. You may ask "What's wrong with secular music?". I challenge you to look at your CD/MP3 collection and ask yourself "What is right with it?". It possibly isn't a sin to fill yourself with worldly things, such as secular entertainment, but the decay will eventually lead you to sin.

So, in a nutshell, we can see from Psalm 150 that there is no particular Christian music, or instrument, that is unholy or displeasing to God. As long as the music glorifies Him, witnesses and testifies in His name, leaves the listener feeling fulfilled of Him and with feelings of faith, hope, and love, and leaves the listener inspired for Him, then it's purpose has been achieved according to His desire. If it leaves you empty, saying "huh?", and wondering if the artist is Christian, then it has failed as belonging to Him. It is when the artist glorifies themselves, and not the Father, that it becomes unholy. To put it this way: Artists who exemplify Christ and seek to glorify Him first with their music are Christian artists. Groups who are more concerned with their music and image and only profess to be Christian are just a group full of Christians (1 Corinthians 10:23).

It makes no difference what it sounds like. There is an audience waiting for each genre. I went from listening to secular heavy metal to listening to Christian metal and then to praise and worship music and hymns. If the only Christian music available was hymns, then I never would have switched. I still liked my music heavy, not light. Each genre of Christian music has a purpose. We need to not put "God's music" in a small box with a tiny label and call everything else "sinful". So rock on, rap on, twang on, yodel on, dance on, and get out the kazoos. As long as it is for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). Again, thank you for your time and God bless.

The Starbucks Church

There seems to be a new trend growing among today's modern churches. Usually showing up in large or "mega" churches, we are seeing a growth in coffee shops/bistros and gift shops. Yes, Starbucks and Lifeway have found their way in the walls of God's temples. But what does the Bible say about this and what can we gather about whether this is pleasing to God? To help answer that question, I would like to put on a little play. However, I will keep the text in paragraph format to save on space.

Our story takes place at Parkside Church on a beautiful Sunday morning. The lattes and mocha chocha cappuccinos are fresh and so are the muffins and scones. New Christian apparel is on display near the BistroBar. The cashiers are ready to work hard and sell...on the "Sabbath". Let's take a peek inside to see what's happening...

Richard, a middle aged stock broker, is at the BistroBar paying for a latte and a Michael W. Smith CD when his friend, Barry, walks up behind him.
Barry: Hey hey hey, Rick! Getting your usual I see? Richard: Ha Ha! Yessir, you know I have a weakness for these things. Hey, did you catch the last play on the game last night? I have never seen Johnson run like that. He will definitely make MVP with stats like that! Barry: No. I wished I did though. I was out at Slick's last night throwing a few back with Tom and Will. Will got a new promotion and we were celebrating. Richard: And Karen didn't mind? Barry: Weeellll....yes and no. But we worked things out this morning. Say, that reminds me, I need to get up with you after the service to ask about some new stock options I am looking into. If I invest right, I just might be able to buy that vacation home that I have been eyeing.
Karen and Judy, Barry and Richard's wives, walk over after looking at the new Bible covers that are for sale.
Judy: Now Rick, how many times has your doctor told you to lay off of that stuff? Richard: What? The lattes or Michael W. Smith?
Everyone laughs. Ha, Ha....Ha?
Karen: Barry, Judy was just telling me about a great package that they are offering at The TravelHut. Two nights and three days in Charleston, South Carolina. I hear the weather is perfect this time of year. If we go, do you think we could take the Benz? I would love to ride with the top down and that warm air just blowing through my hair. Barry: Sweetie, did you forget about the exotic golfing trip that I am taking with the guys? There just simply isn't anyway that we could go to Charleston, buy that new 90 inch LCD TV, and buy our twins matching BMWs for their sweet 16 after I take that trip. Richard: My, Barry! It sound like you have some important decisions to make. Ha Ha!
In walks a stranger. No one has ever seen Him at Parkside Church before. As He stands in the entrance to "The Connection" (That is the collective name for both the BistroBar and gift shop), He looks around. His heart is broken. He cannot believe what the temple has become.
Judy: My, Richard, I think that man over there is Jesus Christ. Richard: I believe dear that you are right. Barry: Hey Jesus! Let me buy you a Frappacino!
Jesus walks over to the "What Would Jesus Do" sweatshirt display and turns over the tables. He knocks over the display of Chris Tomlins' new CDs, shattering them as they hit the ground. Now don't get me wrong. I like Chris Tomlin a lot. His CD display was just at the wrong place at the wrong time this day. Sorry Chris! Anyway, Jesus turns over the scones and muffins, and then, looking at Barry, Richard, Judy, Karen, He unplugs the Frappacino thingy that does whatever it does to frappacinos. Can you tell I don't drink coffee? He looks to the cashiers, then to John, the senior pastor, and says :

"It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers." (Matthew 21:12-13).

Richard: Umm, Barry. Maybe you should have offered to buy him a latte.

That concludes our play at the Parkside Church on this beautiful Sunday. The day appointed as the "Sabbath" day of rest, where no church should have working cashiers. Tune in next week as we explore why parents stuff their kids into church basements during service in a play entitled "Worship: No Longer A Family Affair".

Ouch! Things didn't seem to go too well for the folks at Parkside Church this particular Sunday. Do you think that since the cashiers were already willing to work on the "Sabbath", that they will clean up the mess that Jesus made? Who knows!

These are not my words or actions. They are those of our Savior Jesus Christ and it happened around 2,000 years ago when He entered the temple in Jerusalem. The temple had become a Walmart, where you could buy food, clothes, sandals, and get new shoes put on your camel all at once. But what did Jesus do? He cleaned house. (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11: 15-17; Luke 19: 45-46).

I am not too certain what goes through the mind of a church goer or pastor who suggests putting a coffee shop or gift shop in their church. I can only imagine that they spilt (southern for "spilled") coffee on the Matthew 21: 12-13 (see also Mark and Luke above) paragraph in their Bible. How else would you think it would be a good idea to use your church to turn profit with such a blatant example to not do so? I think if you need to make profit in your church in order to pay the pastor or pay the church bills, then maybe you should be relying on God more and emphasize tithing in the congregation, and less on man's ideas as to what to do. Also, if you have one, get rid of the 200 inch TitanTron TVs that stand erect behind the pastor, above the pews, beside the band, and all over the BistroBar. You don't need to see him up close in order to understand the sermon.

I know you may be saying that I am being legalistic or that I am wrong in that such an action could be offensive to God. Well, keep this in mind: The only time such an incident is mentioned in the Bible is when Jesus cleansed the temple. Not once does it go back on this and not once has any amendments been made to the Bible that says "Sorry for that outburst. I have been thinking about it and I was too harsh on those people in the temple. Therefore I have decided to allow the selling of goods in the church to make profit. Thanks. Love, Jesus". So we can conclude that this is still as offensive to the Lord as it was then. Also remember that Jesus was a pacifist. He was calm, collected, humble, and meek. Even at His arrest and trial He was calm (Matthew 26: 47-68; 27: 11-14, 27-31). He even said to offer the other cheek to someone who socks you and don't seek vengeance (Matthew 5: 38-39). He didn't erupt into a fit of rage when He was beat before His trial. But He erupted in a fit when He saw people selling goods in the temple and turned over the tables and chased them out of the temple. It was the only thing that caused Him to "lose His cool". It burned His heart more to see that than to be beat and crucified.

We need to pray for those church leaders who are being misled. They are the final voice that can say "If you want coffee before church, stop at McCafe. If you want Michael W. Smith CD's before service, go to Walmart. But my church will not be a den of robbers". Thank you for your time and may grace and peace be with you. God bless!

Why “Refined4Him?” Part III: Who Can Speak?

If you have read my last two blog posts I have two questions for you: What’s wrong with you? Why are you still here? No, but seriously, if you have been following this series then you have been introduced to me, my testimony, and what I believe. This final installment of the “Why ‘Refined4Him’” series is about this blog itself, why it was created, and why I have a right to speak.

If you may recall in Part I of this series, I had mentioned that one day I saw my wife reading some Christian blogs. I had no clue what a blog was. I thought maybe it was a morbidly obese frog (blob + frog = blog). After I was briefed I told her that it would be nice to have one of my own so that I could talk about The Lord and, well, “preach on”. I wasn’t all that serious. Then one day I came home from work and found that Refined4Him was born. It is named after a screen name that I had been using for sometime and it’s meaning is what it sounds like. My original desire, other than “preaching on” with this blog was also to “monetize”. This means that you would be seeing a bunch of ads on the sides of the screen and if enough people clicked on them, then I would get paid. I have come to find through the life of this blog that this would only hinder my purpose, or God’s will, with this blog. Unless God’s will changes.

I know many people who you’d think would take the time to read this blog, but refuse to do so. Mostly for the reason that I am not a pastor and I have never graduated from any seminary school. I have never studied under any Bible gurus, never hiked Mt. Everest in search of higher wisdom, never been under the wing of world famous Bible philosophers, etc. I am simply a Christian who reads and studies his Bible. I take my epiphanies from the Holy Spirit, from fellowship with other Christians, from Christian writers, and from listening to Christian ministries on the radio daily. My radio mentors include John MacArthur, J. Vernon McGee, Woodrow Kroll, Alistair Begg, David Jeremiah, Adrian Rogers, James MacDonald, Billy Graham, and literary hero Charles Spurgeon. So I am constantly learning and gaining new insights on an almost daily basis, and sharing what I learn on this blog. Although many may not agree with me. As a matter of fact, a family member once said that they do not want to read my blog because they don’t want to read anything that I have to say. That’s OK. To each his own!

But the question remains: Do I have a right to say the things that I do and have said, even though I have no professional Bible training or degrees? The answer is “yes”. You see, like I have said, most people shrug off what I say because I am not a pastor or have any “credentials”. These people should be reminded that neither did some of the greatest apostles of the Bible. Was Saul/Paul on his way to Damascus University when Jesus confronted him? Did Peter and John graduate with a doctorate from Jerusalem College? Was Timothy hard at it in his studies at Christ Community College when he assisted Paul? Did the first martyr Stephen graduate with honors from Stoned Tech? I didn’t think so.

These men spoke with the Holy Spirit. Look at Peter for example. When he walked with Jesus, did you ever notice how he seemed like such a dunce sometimes? You may notice from the four Gospels that Jesus’ disciples had trouble understanding the parables, understanding the time of His crucifixion and death, quarreled over who would be first in the Kingdom, lacked faith, and just basically seemed like they didn’t even know what was going on half the time. Peter was the most outspoken and put his foot in his mouth a few times. But then we have the Peter from the book of Acts, post Holy Spirit. He had knowledge, he had understanding, he even had the power to cast out demons. He traveled, taught, and converted three thousand plus people. We can even look at Saul too. So ignorant he was of Christ that he hated Christians and persecuted, assaulted, and even killed them. Then, as Paul, he wrote some of the greatest writings of the New Testament. All because of the Holy Spirit. Not because of a framed piece of paper.

It is man’s idea that a man can only be worthy to teach (or preach) if he has a degree. It is God’s work when a man who has never set foot in a college classroom can bring a room full of sinners to their knees in repentance. Who has the most power? Man or God?

For example, my wife and I once attended a big mountainous mega church here in town years ago. We probably attended for about three months. Well the pastor was a Dr. in his Christian studies and had many degrees. As a matter of fact, they probably built the church around his degrees. But how effective was he and his diplomas? To my left was a crowd of teenagers dressed like Marilyn Manson (black makeup, piercing, tattoos, skull covered clothing, all black, etc.) who were constantly cutting up in church. In front of me was a homosexual couple that played in the church band. To my right was a woman who came to church every Sunday in a tight miniskirt, knee high boots, fishnet stockings, and a barely there shirt. Yet these folks walked in feeling good about themselves and their blatant display of worldliness and sin, and walked out feeling just as good. There was never any preaching on sin or repentance. As a matter of fact, there was never an altar call. The preacher never preached from the Bible, nor did we even have to open ours. There wasn’t any convictions. Just a big building full of hot air. So how effective is a preacher with a degree? Just because you have a stamped piece of paper doesn’t mean that you are the only person allowed to speak on God’s behalf, nor does it mean that this is the only person that Christians should seek in their time of need or questions.

This is why I speak and will not stop, unless God says otherwise. You see, God has laid it on my heart to do this blog. I hear the Spirit speak to me on what to write about and sometimes the Spirit does the talking and I do the typing. If I start a post and run into a lot of trouble with it, I usually abandon it on the assumption that the Spirit is not speaking and it is all my own words. As you may recall I just “took off” for the month of July on this blog to pray. One of the things that I prayed for was whether or not to eliminate the Refined4Him blog site because I only have five or so devoted readers and NOBODY ever leaves a comment. It seemed to me pointless to discuss/preach/teach/praise/worship God when nobody was reading it. But God answered my prayers, without a doubt, to continue doing this, regardless of whether or not I am my own “fan”. I assume that someday this will all come around and I will find out why God has called me to this and why He has asked me to continue.

So there you have it. The conclusion of the “Why ‘Refined4Him?’” blog series. I hope you have enjoyed my testimony, creed, and why this blog was created. I trust that if you have survived this three part saga, then you must be here for the long haul. Either that or you are really bored. But either way I hope that I am effective in what I do for our Savior. May this blog, other blogs, and other ministries be a blessing to you. Thank you for your time these past few weeks and God blessJ .

Why “Refined4Him” ? Part II: My Creed

As you may recall from Part I of my series on “Why ‘Refined4Him’”, I mentioned in one of the closing paragraphs that you would be shocked at the sanctification process that God has granted me and that I consider myself “set apart” from the world, but not “better than” the world (also defined as being “holy”). This is assuming that you survived reading my last blog entry. I sure hope so! (Romans 12:2, James 4:4).     

I would like to take a moment to discuss what I/we believe (the “we” being my wife and I) and why we set ourselves apart from worldliness. We choose not to participate in sin (obviously), but we also take it a step further in that we do not participate in things that do not edify nor glorify our God. Many would consider this being “better than”, or “holier than thou”. Well, we are “holy”. You see, “holiness” is not being above someone or something, but being separate from them. We consider ourselves human and still prone to sin and we still need Jesus to get us through the days. Someone who is “better than” usually thinks not to need Jesus because they are on a “higher plane”. Trust me, my wife and I are still very humble. (2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 Corinthians 6:20, Romans 3:23). Oh, sorry! I’m just ranting on.

We believe that sin is relevant. And we do not pat sin on the back or believe in covering it in sugar. You can spray perfume on cow manure, but it doesn’t change what it is. Sin is not something that God approves of and it causes separation between us and God. If you don’t believe me, then why did His only begotten Son die on the cross? (John 3:16-21). There are many things that we consider sin/abominations (or things that are bad examples of a disciple) that many this day and age do not. From smoking to homosexuality, to gambling and back. But don’t worry, the blog posts are coming on those.

There are many people who are stunned to learn that we do not watch TV or have one in our home. OK…now that you have picked yourself up off the floor, let me explain. It all started about three years ago, give or take. We belonged to the dish family. We indulged every night in all kinds of shows. We kept up with the Kardashians, drooled over the latest Hollywood sleaze on TMZ, enjoyed all the sexed up, violent cop shows such as Law and Order and CSI. Our free time was spent drooling over TV. As a matter of fact, our oldest son spent hours a day entranced by it’s glow. Then God began “refining” us after we left the church we were attending at the time. Most people at that church thought we left God too, but the truth is that He hammered our hearts with His will. But that’s another story for another day. We realized that the TV was nothing but expensive smut. So we dropped down to the “family package”. This only offered us the ability to continue to make our son a zombie. So we got rid of the dish and went to the converter box. All seemed well, with the exception of commercials that advertised sex or the sexy shows that were to come on later. Then one night as we were watching The Wheel Of Fortune as a family, Ms. Vanna White was adorned in a very immodest outfit. “That’s it!” I said. And out the door went the TV. You see, we have a standard as to what we allow our eyes as a family to see. If it goes against our values, then it is trash. Violence, cussing, sexual immorality, immodesty, and everything else that TV has to offer goes against what we believe and therefore is not allowed in our home. Many people cuss around children this day and age and say “Oh, they just hear it at home. They’re used to it.”. Not in my home. As a matter of fact, if you cuss in my home I will throw you out.

So now we do this thing called “talking”. Interaction as a family I know is a scary thing this day, but we took the step and not once do we miss the TV. We also spend our time doing unheard of stuff like “playing with our kids”, “reading the Bible”, “singing hymns”, and “training our kids in the love and teaching of God” (Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 6:4). Man! What are we? Monsters? We do not consider it a sin to watch TV. However, we believe what you feed your soul is important. How do you expect to grow in Jesus when you spend your free time watching the devil’s work? (Matthew 6:24, 4:10). Someday we will have to answer to God on how we used our resources (time) (Matthew 25:1-30). I would rather my Lord be pleased with what I have done, not me trying to explain myself. So to those people who keep calling me to offer us a TV: Thank you, but the reason why we do not have a TV isn’t because we cannot afford one.

If you know us, then you know that we are no strangers to financial struggles. Many people have told us that this would be solved if my wife would get a job. Well, you see, we choose poverty. We sacrifice financial ease in order to fulfill God’s calling for the raising of our children. It makes no sense for us to pay total strangers to raise our children for us just so my wife can make a couple of extra bucks. We would be turning our children over to the values and beliefs of others who may not share what we believe. Then we turn them over to the ungodly public school system to be taught that God isn’t real, Jesus is wrong, and it’s OK to be gay. Talk about sacrificing your children! Just to make extra money? Is it worth it to lose your children to the ways of the world? To see them fall away in their adult years because they were taught two different ways of thought and living? To pray that they choose the right path? Why even give them the wide and crooked path as a choice? (Matthew 7:13-14).We don’t think it is worth it. We would rather be poor and trust God for His provisions than to have two incomes to get what we want, while handing our children over to a broken system. Therefore we choose to raise our children ourselves and homeschool. (1 Timothy 4:6-16, 6:3-4, Titus 2:1).

Quiverfull? Many don’t know what this means, but for those that do fear has been struck in their hearts. When people think of quiverfull, they think of America’s most loved/hated family- The Duggars. What quiverfull means is that we surrender to God’s will the size of our family. Children are a blessing and not a curse, as many modern families tend to believe. God has planned how many children He wants us to have. It could be three or thirty. It is up to Him on how many blessings we are entrusted to raise in His way. So many people think that this is irresponsible family planning. Hey! We follow biblical principals. If you think it is irresponsible then you need to complain to God about it. What I think is irresponsible is the swipe-swipe-swiping of credit cards to buy useless junk that will just break or end up in the landfill. So many people want to rack up credit cards and debt, but limit how many children they have. The Bible considers children a blessing and debt a curse. (Psalm 127:3-5, Psalm 128, Romans 13:8, Proverbs 22:7).

We also believe that women should dress modestly, hence Vanna White’s offense that I had mentioned earlier. We believe that the sexuality of a woman should be reserved for her husband, not for every other man to drool upon. Not to mention when a woman dresses provocatively, whether in church or in public, she is using her body to attract men in a sexual/lustful manner and causing any married men with wandering eyes to commit adultery in his heart. I seriously doubt this is pleasing to God, so not just do we not partake, but we teach our sons to look away and choose not to dress our daughter(s) in that way either. So no, we will not be buying pants for our daughter(s) that says “juicy” across the rear end. Do we seem like horrible parents yet? (1 Timothy 2:9, Matthew 5:28, Romans 14:21).

This is most, but not all of what I, and my wife, believe in. I am not saying that this is what we believe, and that you are wrong if you don’t follow suit. This is what God has called us to. And we are pretty sure that we aren’t nuts, being that there are scriptures in the Bible to back up our beliefs. If you are offended that we are offended by underdressed women, sin, public schools, daycare, TV, and Vanna White’s dress, then you again need to talk to God about it. We are only following His will, not our own.

I shared with you last time about where I came from and how I was saved. This time I shared with you what I believe and the scriptures that I believe represent this. I wanted to elaborate more on the “sanctification” that has taken place in our lives that I touched on in my last blog post. You see, just three years ago not just were we watching smut on TV, but we also believed that modestly dressed women were nuts, quiver full was a religious cult, and even about five years ago discussed what public school our children would be in. It was God’s conviction and calling that has led us to where we are and where we will be heading. We thank Him so much for this and I am eager in anticipation to know why He has called us in this way, yet so many other Christians are not and live by a worldly standard. Again, this post wasn’t meant to seem “better than” the world, but that God has called us to be “set apart” from it. I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better this time around, as I have been a virtual “Batman” in the blog world. Lurking in the shadows behind a mask. There is one more blog post on this series as to why my blog exists and who I am. Thank you for your time and God blessJ

Why “Refined4Him” ? Part I: My Story

Why does this blog “Refined4Him” exist? Well, let me take a moment to explain myself and who I am and where I came from. I act as an enigma on this blog for the simple reason of protection for the privacy of my family, but mostly because I prefer to pass the spotlight onto Christ. So let me tell you my story.

Hi! My name is Chris. I am a soon to be 32 year old father of soon to be three (two boys and one girl), and husband to a beautiful wife, wonderful mother, and amazing cook for over ten years. I know you may think “food’s not important”, but I live in the south where food is everything. By the way, I am Virginia born and raised.

I grew up a child of the Eighties and Nineties. I grew up in a secular home where God’s name was mostly mentioned before an expletive. We never attended church, prayed, worshiped, etc. We loved and were loved, but we were certainly lost. Our TV played shows like Night Rider, Magnum P.I., and Family Ties, and our radio blasted Huey Lewis, Michael Jackson, and a young Madonna. What on Earth was Gospel music? My parents divorced when I was about seven years old and my Brother and I went to live with my Mom in an apartment complex. I often refer to these apartments as the “ghetto” of the county in which I lived. Being the only white people there (I am not being racist, I am just stating the facts), I was beat up everyday by all the other kids. I was not used to this kind of hatred. We then moved to a cul-de-sac where again I was being beat up everyday. This time by white kids. See, I told you I wasn’t being racist. My Brother even beat up on me everyday while my Mom worked two jobs to support us. I went to a new school where I got picked on…and beat up just about everyday. I sure was a tenderized little boy! Again, this kind of hatred was new to me. I remember sitting in my room at night when I was ten and just crying and saying that no one loved me and all I wanted to do was die.

When I started the sixth grade, my Brother and I moved in with my Dad. He was able to spend more time with us because he worked only one job. The teasing and beating at school worsened when I started middle school. I wanted to die…by my own hands. I had hated life and everything that went with it. I had no friends. By this time in my life I had kept hearing about this God that controlled everything. He controls everything? So He controls my crashing life? I was determined that God was bringing all this on. I hated God.

By high school my Dad started drinking heavily. There were some nights where he wouldn’t even come home. My Brother was away at college, so I was at home by myself most of the time. Nothing but me, my sad state of affairs, and a God who had brought ruin to me. Oh how I hated Him. I remember coming home from school in tears, pointing my middle finger to the sky saying “(expletive) you God and your wife Mary. I hate You!” (yes I actually thought that God had married Mary in some kind of celestial wedding and that’s how that Jesus guy was born. Shows you how much I knew). I was listening not just to bands like Metallica and Megadeth, but also anti-Christian bands like Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Deicide (who’s name means “the killing of God”). I loved these guys and their anti-God message. I hated God and Christians (even though at this point I didn’t even know who Jesus was). Let’s fast forward to post high school.

I went to community college seeking higher education and women. Although, I only succeeded at one. I made Dean’s List every semester. I ended up dating girls that were nothing but trouble. Finally I said “I am done with these girls. I need a country girl, not these metalheads. I need a farmer’s daughter. LOL”. I remember about this time my Mom started throwing around this God guy again. But this time with strange words like “love, prayer, blessing, etc.” Wait a minute! Isn’t this God the guy who hated me and ruined my life? Whom I hated and wished I could kill? What was wrong with my Mom? I think she was losing her mind. She one time requested for Mother’s Day that we attend church with her. GASP! Do what? Church? Isn’t that where all those Christian people go who talk about that evil God and sing funny songs that I don’t know the words to? Yes MomL

It was a bad experience. The preacher was an old man who about ten times during the service put down “that rock ‘n roll music“. Putting down my music? Is that what church is about? Figures! Well after this I lightened up about my hatred and just didn’t care to believe. I knew there was a God, but didn’t want anything to do with Him. I remember working at a call center that was run by Christians and had many Christian college students that worked there. They did this funny thing before we started work called “prayer”. People would request prayer for things. I even chimed in once or twice. I remember everyone that sat around me had joy and were very friendly. Strange! Then one day a guy asked me if I knew where I was going when I died. I said “Heaven”. He asked how did I know that. I said “I guess since I’m a nice guy and didn’t kill anybody that I was alright“. He laughed and said that wasn’t good enough and proceeded to witness to me and tell me the Good News about that Jesus guy. He then asked if I wanted to go downstairs and be saved. I declined. I later told my friends about this. They told me the guy just wanted to molest me downstairs. Those filthy Christians!

Then I met the farmer’s daughter. She was raised in the church and was baptized and even was….(gulp!)….saved! Saved??? We dated for about two months and then I decided to dump her. She didn’t have blonde hair and blue eyes like I wanted. But as I was preparing to do this, a voice “within” said “No. Don’t do it. Keep her.” Who on Earth was that? That wasn’t me talking. Later on I wanted to proceed again, but again I heard “Don’t do it.” Who is that talking? And why do you want me to keep this woman?

During our time together this woman would ask if I was a Christian. I told her “yes” because my Grandma was and my Mom lost her mind. She asked me what my denomination was and I think I told her “Methodist Baptist” because my Grandma was Methodist and my Mom, who lost her mind, was from Baptist stock. I was Christian by association. She asked me if I was saved. Ooooohhh! There’s that word again. I told her “yes” because it sounded good at the time. I fell in love with this woman and no longer wanted to dump her. We had happy times together. Anytime we went to any kind of Christian activity and the opportunity to repent and say the sinner’s prayer would come up, I would just nod and say it wasn’t necessary. I had heard the word “saved” so much that I figured I already was. I was good to go. Although through the years, something just wasn’t right.

We were married in June of 2001. She was a Christian who wanted to get back into a relationship with Jesus because some jerk made her weak in her walk and caused sin in her life. I was the jerk who was living in ignorant bliss and sin who thought I was a saint and all was kosher. She began to talk more about this Jesus guy and salvation and repentance and all kinds of other funny words that I didn’t learn in public school. We would go to churches and concerts where these things were talked about. I thought, “I’m not that bad. God loves me, so I’m saved. Right?”. I was into pornography, I cussed like a sailor, I listened to anti-Christian music, I had a temper, and I was overall selfish. Yeah. I was good alright!

Then in the summer of 2004 I started reading a book by Billy Graham called “Answers To Life‘s Problems“. It was a book where people would ask questions like “Is what I do really sin?” to “Why do Christians dress up for church?” After reading this book I realized just how vile I really was. I knew what needed to be done. I had heard about this for years. I was on my knees July 2004 asking that Jesus guy to forgive me, come into my heart, and save me from my vileness. The transformation was phenomenal. All those vile things that I enjoyed became my pain. A war started within me. The Holy Spirit versus Satan.

Kudos to Billy Graham, but I owe it all to my wife for bringing me to the cross. You see, it was God who was telling me to “keep her”. He brought her to me to bring me to Him. Even when I hated Him and wanted nothing to do with Him, He was calling me. He was setting up the road to salvation. Jesus who I knew nothing about…I am yours.

If you knew me and my beliefs now, then you would be shocked at the sanctification that has taken place. I consider myself holy. Not “better than”, but “separate from” the world and things of the world. I will draw emphasis on this at another time because I am sure that by now your eyes are hurting. But one day I caught my wife looking at Christian blogs and said “Hmm. I wouldn’t mind having one so I could, well, preach on”. Sure enough she set this blog up. I named it based on a screen name that I had been using for sometime. You will see under the logo at the top why I chose the name Refined4Him and what it means to be refined. You will also notice that this blog is stripped of flashiness and is very basic. Because it is not I, but Christ.

I shared with you who I am and what brought me here. I hope that you enjoyed the message and humor. But more importantly, I hope you enjoyed my testimony. That a man who hated God so much that we wanted to kill Him, can be called to the cross and forgiven. I would consider wanting to kill God a very serious sin, far worse than adultery, drugs, violence, etc. If He can forgive me, He can forgive you to. Just ask and believe. May God bless you and I pray that I do my job well with this blog in the future and thus far in glorifying Him and teaching and lifting in His name. If I fail, may I be forgiven. Thank you readers as I start a new chapter with this blog. Again, may you be blessed by the Father, Son, and Spirit.

UPDATE: My Dad doesn’t drink anymore and is remarried with two handsome little boys. And no, I don’t beat up on them like my Brother did. My Brother no longer beats me up because I am bigger than him. My Mom obviously did not lose her mind. Although we did not know the Lord, I love my family very much and have forgiven them any trespasses that may have occurred in my life. I pray that those who know Him will walk more intimately with Him, and those who don’t know Him will. God bless!

He Is Not Here

And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here…” (Luke 24:5-6).

So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."(John 12:35-36). I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness (John 12:46).

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?(2 Corinthians 6:14-16).

Why do folks often seek light within darkness? To seek life among death? Never has there been such an obvious and simple contrast throughout the world and all nations as night and day, and life and death. No human is immune to the knowledge of either. “Why do you seek the living among the dead? HE IS NOT HERE!” But who is “He”?

He is the Living Water and the Light of The World. He is Life. He has the ability to quench the thirst of our soul, overcome the darkness within, and give life where we were dead. His name is Jesus Christ. And if you are swimming in darkness, bathing in death, and running to the desert to find water…He is not there. You will not see Him peeking from under the bed in a porn movie. You will not see His face in that puff of smoke. No, you will not find Him in the bottom of the bottle. He isn’t buying rounds for adulterers and their mistresses at the bar. He isn’t writing a hate speech that is about to be delivered to a neighbor or co-worker. He isn’t in any other sin that one may seek in order to drive away internal darkness and offer temporary false peace. He isn’t in darkness. He isn’t in death.

But so many people put Him there. Alcoholics may say that Jesus is in the booze because He turned water into wine. Smokers may say that God made tobacco and weed so that it can be smoked. And since God put sexual desires into man, I reckon lust and adultery is OK? To say these things is to say that God created the darkness, death, and sin that plagues the hearts of mankind. Therefore Satan must be innocent.

A great book to read in the New Testament is the Gospel of John. If you want to read about the contrast between darkness and light, then this is it. If you read, you will find that the god of this world, Satan, is the giver of darkness and lies in the hearts of men. When a man’s heart is pummeled by darkness and lies, and his heart is parched, exhausted, and dehydrated from truth, then death is imminent. Jesus Christ is the polar opposite of that darkness. He holds the keys to light, truth, and life and is the water that dry hearts seek (John 4:7-15).

Many things cannot coexist. Light and dark is one of them. For darkness to prevail means that light is absent. For light to prevail means that darkness is absent. You cannot say a room is well lit when it is in total darkness, nor can a lit room be called a darkened room. It doesn’t make sense, right? So how can the living be among the dead? How can a dry, battered, and lost soul say that it is comforted? How can righteousness be found in sin? How can love be found in hate? How can Jesus be found in Satan? You cannot put your hand in a fire and say it is cold. It makes as much sense as trying to breath underwater.

You will not find life in death. And if you find that your life is among the dead, then you may be void of Christ altogether. As a matter of fact, you may need to examine if the Holy Spirit is even dwelling within you. Because if He was, then the darkness would have been overcome by the light.

Oh, if I had a dime for every miserable Christian that I have met! Miserable about life, their job, money, themselves and the company they keep. Everything is just dark and dead to them. Yet they profess to be Christian. My friends, do not be fooled and do not fool yourself. If the Holy Spirit dwells within you, then there is no way that death and darkness has it’s grip on you. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13). To say that the Spirit is within you, and yet to say that death and darkness is within you as well, is to say that the gift of The Holy Spirit, delivered to you by Jesus upon your salvation, is broken. Therefore The Spirit has failed. Therefore Jesus Christ has failed. Therefore God has failed.

It isn’t God that has failed, but maybe your faith has failed, or maybe there was an error at your repentance. Maybe you didn’t fully trust that you would be saved, or maybe you wanted to be saved for personal, not spiritual, gain (for example; a man being saved so a Christian woman would date him). I don’t know the reasons, but it is up for your personal examination and between you and God. But as the scriptures above have said: He is alive and is not among the dead and He is the light that overcomes the darkness. And what fellowship does darkness have with light?
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24). Confess the sins that are found in your heart and nail them to the cross, that you may bare them no more. Seek true repentance from Christ, that the Holy Spirit may truly take hold of you and separate you from the darkness, the sin, and the death that is within you. And may your thirst be quenched.

Love In Christ!

NOTE: I will not be posting any blogs for the month of July as I will be taking the time out for prayer to further my walk and faith in the Lord and for the future of this blog. Thank you and God bless!





　







　

Legion And The Woman

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them." So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid (Mark 5:1-15).

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." (Mark 5:24-34).

Who is your “Legion”? Who are your demons and monsters? Do they have names like Sickness, Hopelessness, Despair, Depression, Addiction, etc.? Have you tried everything to kill the beast? Let me tell you about two people in the Bible who were beaten by Sickness to the point that no one could do anything else for them and there was no hope left. Those two people are Legion and the woman who touched Christ’s garment.

How often do we hear of people who are so far lost in the halls of their minds, that they no longer know joy, reality, themselves, etc.? People who rely on medication to escape their torments and/or invest in psychologists to help solve their problems. Maybe a shelf on their bookcase has bowed from the weight of all the self-help books. Some people are so far lost that they physically cut themselves, as Legion did. Some simply have low self- esteem and create storms in their lives, doing things such as fornication, drinking, and abusing drugs. The darkness of their hearts and minds have swallowed them whole, and they have fallen so deep into the pit that it seems that no one can find them, not even themselves.

Let’s look at Legion for just a moment. Here we have a man who is so drenched in darkness, that he lives among the tombs. The air of death does him no discomfort. It matters not that he spies people mourning around the bend from time to time. His heart has no sympathy, just apathy. Even chains cannot bind his tormenting demons. He is so enthralled with demons, that he grabs stones and slices himself open. We hear about this all the time, don’t we? Teens who are so depressed that they inflict wounds on themselves. Maybe its anyone who is lacerating their soul with the stones in life? The emotions are ravaged. The spirit is six feet under. The soul is dead. It seems no one can help them anymore. Enter Jesus.

Before any formal introduction, Christ knew what Legion was all about, and likewise. There they stood toe to toe and eye to eye. I can see the disciples standing behind Christ, shaking in their sandals. Maybe they said to each other “What is He going to do? Doesn’t He know who that man is? No one could ever help him.” And in one simple “Go” from the lips of our Savior, Legion left the man and entered into a herd of pigs, which then became pork chops for the sharks. All that was left was a man who was sitting, not living, among death. Sane, not cutting, screaming, or writhing. It was a done deal.

There is Dependency upon medication, alcohol, fornication, drugs, anything else to cope and escape whatever it is that ails us. Both physically and emotionally. Sounds familiar? When it seems like you are being visited by Hopelessness and Despair and there is no solution, then what? Is Sickness knocking at your door? Is Addiction calling? Did you get that e-mail from Depression? No one could help the woman who spent years with Hemorrhage. She had been to countless doctors. Everything from “Take this”, “Try this”, “Do this”, and “Maybe you should stop doing that” to herbs and old wives tales filled her daily regiment. She had grown exhausted and hopeless. She spent many nights crying herself to sleep, and many more where she did without it. She may have even had frequent visits with Depression. Then Jesus walked by.

All it took was a touch that day from the Physician. And Hemorrhage left her alone, along with Depression and it’s child, Hopelessness.

What was it that she and Legion both had that healed them, other than being with Jesus? They had faith. Legion had it when he knew who Jesus was, and what He could do for him. So he asked Jesus to deliver the demons from him, and it was granted. The woman knew that a simple touch to Christ’s garment would heal her. So she reached out to Him, and was healed. It was their faith in knowing that Christ could do for them what no one else could do when they were at the end of their rope.

Are you at the end of your rope? Do you not know where to turn or what else to do? Have you tried everything to put away your monsters? Have you tried falling on your knees and crying out to Jesus? Come to the throne and ask for deliverance. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened (Matthew 7:8). Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24). And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith (Matthew 21:22).

Tell Him what your monster’s name is. Ask Him to rid you of your never ending bleeding and suffering. Ask Him to take away your Legion. Have faith and trust in Him that He can do this for you. Ask Him to restore the joy in your heart and clear the dark clouds. After all…you are at the end of your rope, aren’t you? You have tried all that man can do and nothing seems to work. Right? Lean on the everlasting arms! Pray without ceasing and do not let go of God. As Jacob said: "I will not let you go unless you bless me." (Genesis 32:26).

Love In Christ!

It’s May 22nd…And We’re Still Here

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark (Matthew 24:36-38).

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits…(Matthew 7:15-16). When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:22).

And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch (Genesis 6:12-14). Then the men (angels) said to Lot, "Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it." (Genesis 19:12-13).

Recently a fellow devout Christian friend and myself were driving down the road and we had noticed a billboard that read “God’s Judgment Day: May 21, 2011”. I had been seeing these billboards for a very long time, but paid it no mind. My friend had never seen them (he is from out of town). This time I paid mind to the date. “Oh my, that is just a couple of weeks away” I thought to myself. So my wife and I decided to research this theory and the man or organization who is behind it.

Harold Camping. Who is this? If you haven’t heard by now he is the false prophet who is behind the billboards that actually are part of a worldwide movement. Although, many Christians and non-Christians are laughing at his ridiculous notions. He does have a following. I know of a family just minutes away who are swept up in this phenomenon and have a giant sign on their front lawn with this message and have the date scrawled all over their minivan.

But as we see from Matthew 24 above, it is impossible for any man to know the date of Christ’s return, because He Himself doesn’t even know. Not even the angels know. Only God knows. To say that you know something that only God knows is to say that you have the same knowledge as God. Even above The One who came to save you by His death on the cross. The last time I remember, Lucifer got cast down to Hell for trying to be equal with God. Mr. Camping is not anymore special than a fallen angel.

There are two noted stories in the Bible of destruction by God’s wrath. The world by the great flood, and Sodom by fire. In both accounts, God or angels of God came to Noah and Lot to warn them of what was to come. Mr. Camping did not receive his information from God, but from his own calculations by adding and subtracting things in the Bible that either do not exist, or mean nothing to Mr. Camping’s formula. God is the beginning and the end. He created, and will destroy. He knew that Harold Camping would mislead the world someday. To you honestly think God would have put a formula in the Bible that would give a date for the end? That would defeat the purpose of why God is keeping the date secret and would make Christ look like a liar for saying that He doesn’t even know.

Mr. Camping predicted the end was to come back in 1994 when the “Church Age” ended. What this basically means is that God stopped accepting people being saved in 1994, therefore anyone who was saved after that time is truly not saved and is hell bound. Do what??? Nowhere in the Bible does it say anything about this or that there will be an appointed time that people’s true salvation will be denied by He who saved us. From what I have read and understand, once the “elect” has been saved, that is when Jesus will return. Only God knows who is the elect. Not Mr. Camping.

Mr. Camping also said that this will all take place at 6PM on May 21, 2011. Which time zone? If there is something that will take place that will effect the entire world, you cannot put a time on it. How can California be caught by surprise when the east coast gets God’s judgment first? They will have three hours to prepare! Some countries are not even in the same day at 6PM across the globe. Notice Christ said “that day and hour no one knows”.

And the final nail in the coffin of Mr. Camping’s theory…today is May 22nd…and we’re still here.

Christian, please do not fall for false prophets. You need to look at the fruits of these people and compare them to God’s word. Do they contradict? No man knows more than God, so therefore no man can “debunk” God’s word or promises. I am not going to get into any doomsday theories or discuss the book of Revelations at this time. It is sad that not just are some Christian followers going to be let down and possibly question God, but many anti-Christians are going to have a field day with Mr. Camping being wrong. If Camping’s followers and other Christians would read their Bibles, they would know the truth and would not fall for the lies of false prophets. There is nothing more that we “truth knowing” Christians can do than to pray for Mr. Camping and his followers. May their eyes be opened to the truth.

Love In Christ

For more information on this I urge you to read the Bible, and to see Mr. Camping’s theory visit his website:
http://www.familyradio.com/graphical/literature/judgment/judgment.html

Walk The Line

In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices (Colossians 3:7-9).

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:1-3).

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11). Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life…(Philippians 2:14-16). Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen (Jude 1:24-25).

There are many “diseases” that run rampant in the world of Christianity. Throughout the life of my blog I will touch on some of these “diseases”. But one of the major diseases are Christians who profess to be Christians, but act like heathens. Why do I consider this a disease?

As we all know, a disease begins when something negative permeates something that is positive. When germs enter into an otherwise healthy body, causing sickness. The body then becomes infected with the disease, which can sometimes overwhelm it. Although some diseases can be treated or even cured with medication, some become terminal and death is certain.

I personally know supervisors who belittle and insult the intelligence of their employees; men who curse, tell dirty jokes, and get drunk right before the eyes of their children; women who fornicate with live-in boyfriends; married couples who have an open marriage and knowingly cheat on each other; people who lie and bring drama into their lives for attention; and others who have hearts of hate and spite for one another. All of which publicly profess to be Christians. If this isn’t a disease among the body of Christ, then I don’t know what is.

If you profess to know Christ, shout praises in the streets before men, then turn and live in disobedience to His word by blatantly sinning before the same men, then you are doing nothing more than slapping Jesus in the face over and over again. How can your lips shout His praises, then give way to the devil’s speech? How can you profess that you are His, then give your body to another out of wedlock? How can you be joined to another before Him in marriage, and then have date night with the gifts of Satan? How can you open the gates to recklessness in your life and allow the flood waters to consume you, all the while saying that your life is His and you are saved? How can you say “love thy neighbor”, while your love for your neighbor is as black as death?

Not just is your hypocrisy a death sentence to your soul, but your disease is like a cancer that can spread to the rest of the body of Christ-other Christians. When you say “I am a Christian” and publicly live a life of self gratification, debauchery, and malice, you are saying to new believers, or those who are weak in their walk, that it is OK to live this way. Then they are deceived into thinking that there needs to be no change in their lives if they choose to walk with Christ. No repentance, no sanctifying, no obedience. Nothing. They can live as a member of the body of the world, not of Christ, and all is well. This becomes a stumbling block. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD (Leviticus 19:14).

Also you are helping the anti-Christians and atheists out too. How common do we hear the voices of these groups saying that Christians are hypocrites. You know what you do when you DO live like a hypocrite? You prove them right, weaken the power of The Lord, destroy proof of His existence by making His presence void in your life, and make His hallowed name hollow. Now, I am not talking about hidden sins here. I am not bringing out skeletons in the closet or monsters from under the bed. However, your sins will find you out and your darkness will become public (Numbers 32:23). I am not picking on Christians who are at war with the darkness in their hearts, constantly praying for deliverance with a broken heart. I commend you for fighting. Keep praying and keep the faith. I am talking about people who publicly live in contrast to the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ, while praising His name and professing to know Him personally and intimately. Those who plant the flag of lawlessness right into the ground of righteousness and proudly wave it for all to see. This is what misleads the weaker brother and gives ammunition to the enemy.

As you can tell from the scriptures quoted at the beginning of this post, there is a common theme in the third paragraph. The word “blameless”. Can Christians be perfect? No. But can they live a life that is blameless? Yes. And this is the goal that every Christian needs to strive for. Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree (Mark 14:55-56). “And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." (Luke 23:41).

What do we notice here during Jesus’ trial and crucifixion? No one could find any charges, or blame, against him. The thief knew that Christ had done no wrong. The accusers could not find any blame before Pilate. They just looked at each other saying “I can’t find anything wrong. Can you?”. They eventually had to bring false accusations in order to see Him to the cross. We are to follow Christ. Every Christian has been taught this. I would quote scriptures to back this up, but then this post would become a novel. But how great it would be to stand before God on Judgment Day, and to hear Jesus say on your behalf “Father, I find no charges against him. ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your master.'(Matthew 25:21)“ You walked blamelessly as your Savior. Now enter The Kingdom. Wow!

However, can you say the same? Or when you stand before God, will Christ say “Although he said ‘Lord, Lord’, I find many charges against him. He and his wife found their love had grown cold. So he failed miserably as the spiritual leader when he allowed Satan to convince them that committing adultery with other married couples would bring their love back” or “She claimed to know your love and truth Father, but this was overshadowed by her slanderous tongue and lies in order to get pity from her loved ones. Many innocent men were proclaimed guilty so that she could get what she wanted” or maybe “How he walked in your light Father! Or did he? As he praised you at one time, another time the devil’s speech came from his lips. Spite, hate, filth. Do I need say more?” And you will say “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” and Jesus will say “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:22-23). What a shame! You knew of Him and heard His truths, yet you chose to slap Him in the face.

When you live like this you don’t walk a line, you straddle it as you walk. One foot on the side of righteousness, the other foot on the side of lawlessness. You will trip over your own stumbling block trying to enter God’s kingdom walking like this, as you see in Matthew 7:22-23. You need to have both feet on the side of righteousness and walk on the path of Christ. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14). I pray that you will ask in prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24). Live blamelessly like Christ, because you never know who is watching and who you may take down with you when you fall. Not just will it be your blood on your hands, but the blood of those who you deceived with your life. That’s too many lives to be accountable for when you stand before God, isn’t it?

I would like to close with the morning May 17th passage from C.H. Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” daily devotional:
"So to walk even as He walked." --1 John 2:6
Why should Christians imitate Christ? They should do it for their own sakes. If they desire to be in a healthy state of soul--if they would escape the sickness of sin, and enjoy the vigour of growing grace, let Jesus be their model. For their own happiness' sake, if they would drink wine on the lees, well refined; if they would enjoy holy and happy communion with Jesus; if they would be lifted up above the cares and troubles of this world, let them walk even as He walked. There is nothing which can so assist you to walk towards heaven with good speed, as wearing the image of Jesus on your heart to rule all its motions. It is when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk with Jesus in His very footsteps, that you are most happy, and most known to be the sons of God. Peter afar off is both unsafe and uneasy. Next, for religion's sake, strive to be like Jesus. Ah! poor religion, thou hast been sorely shot at by cruel foes, but thou hast not been wounded one-half so dangerously by thy foes as by thy friends. Who made those wounds in the fair hand of Godliness? The professor who used the dagger of hypocrisy. The man who with pretences, enters the fold, being nought but a wolf in sheep's clothing, worries the flock more than the lion outside. There is no weapon half so deadly as a Judas-kiss. Inconsistent professors injure the gospel more than the sneering critic or the infidel. But, especially for Christ's own sake, imitate His example. Christian, lovest thou thy Saviour? Is His name precious to thee? Is His cause dear to thee? Wouldst thou see the kingdoms of the world become His? Is it thy desire that He should be glorified? Art thou longing that souls should be won to Him? If so, imitate Jesus; be an "epistle of Christ, known and read of all men."

Love In Christ!

When The Flesh Speaks

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30).

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7).

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12-13).

There was once a man who stood before a storm. He knew the outcome as His eyes were fixed upon the blackened sky. Lightning flashed and He heard the thunder say “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?", and “Crucify Him!” as the spray of human saliva splashes against the face of The Rock. Lightning strikes the flesh again. Spitting, taunting, cursing, and beating. The storm was beginning to take shape.

He was led before the crowd as the jeering thunder continued to roar. Then a new sound was introduced. The sound of whips creating a division in the air around Him. His skin began to split like the air around Him. Again. Over and over. Again. Slice, split, crack. Blood splattered all over the earth beneath Him. All over the guards who enjoyed the punishing mockery. Some in the crowd even felt the crimson droplets. “No!” cried His flesh. “Not again!” it cried out. His flesh competed with the screams of His mother Mary. “No!” They would shout. Louder and louder, as if competing to see who could shout the loudest. “Please make them stop!” His flesh would shout. His back recognized no pure, untouched, unstained skin. His flesh cried “Enough already”. Then he fell on his back. It was over. Or was it?

“No! Father please make them stop!” The flesh would scream as they began tearing apart his chest. The air around would cower and make room for the whips as they cracked upon the ribs and the breast bone. The flesh begged for mercy, but they did not hear. Or maybe they did hear, and just wanted to hear the flesh scream for mercy. The sight of the crimson excited them. “Finally, He is ours. His pain is ours!” Both sides of His body were unrecognizable. No flesh should ever appear this way. Covered in His blood, and the tears of His damaged body. “No more! No more please!” His flesh cried.

“No more! I cannot take this anymore!” His flesh screamed as numerous thorns dug into the skin of his brow. More beating. The precious blood flowed. Exhaustion. The flesh was weakened. “I cannot go on!” His flesh said. “I’m done.”

Arise! Arise my Lord! The time has come to carry your cross. The flesh rolls its eyes into the back of it’s head, trying to muster the strength to go on. “I can’t do this. God, I just cannot do this.” But He knew the will of His Father. He, The Spirit, persuaded the flesh that this prophesy needed to be fulfilled. The world needed this. “Let us be going.” The Son thought to the flesh.

A blood curdling scream can be heard from the flesh. “How can this be?” it thought. “How can I go through this? I cannot possibly have the strength to survive this.” The flesh may have felt deceived by The One who loved Him. “My Father has forsaken me!” the flesh shouted. Shouted so loudly, that it permeated The Savior’s spirit and came from His lips as the nails were driven in. “How much more can I take? How much more will you put me through God? I cannot take this weight anymore! I cannot go on!” His flesh would say. Exit the spirit. It is finished. “I am dead. I am done.” the flesh spoke.

Christian, what is the state of your flesh? Is the weight of fear causing your flesh to crush your spirit? Are you crying out “I cannot take this anymore! Please God make this stop.”?
What is it that is whipping you?

Is it divorce? Is the preceding your judgment? Is the judge your Pontius Pilate? Every accusation another lashing with the whip? Every demand another beating with a reed? Is your head hurting from the thorns? Is the custody battle of the children the nails that hang you up on your cross? “Please God make this stop! I cannot take this anymore!” your flesh cries.

Is it illness? As you stand before the doctor, what judgment will he give your flesh? What will the fate be? Medications, visits, injections, bills…are all your whips. The mental anguish of your illness and the financial blows surrounds your head like a crown of thorns. Has the progress been your nails? Getting worse are you? Have you been condemned to death? “Please God make this stop! I cannot take this anymore!” your flesh cries.

Is it finances? Bills upon bills are coming in. You don’t even want to check your mail anymore. The phone is ringing off the hook. It is them. The accusers. The bill collectors. They hound and insult you. You can almost hear them shouting “Crucify him”. Your flesh cries “Please stop! No more, please!”. But all you hear is the cracks of the whips as your flesh fights a losing battle. Bills come in, but there is no money to match. Then things start disappearing. You feel the pressure of the thorns as they tow away your car. You feel the nails being driven in as your lights go out. Then it is finished…you no longer have a home. “Please God make this stop! I cannot take this anymore!” your flesh cries.

Is it your past mistakes? Or current sins? When you sleep at night, do you sleep lightly? Do you sleep at all? Do you toss and turn, only to look down and see the monsters peering up at you from under your bed? Do the skeletons come out of your closet to play? These beasts, or demons, are they tormenting your every thought and shortening your every breath? Are they whipping you? Alcohol? Drugs? Abortion? Fornication? Adultery? Abuse? Can you not move past regrets and forgive yourself? “Crucify him” they shout. The pressure is mounting as the crown is beat down over your head. As your life shatters, you may feel like you are being crucified. Like the weight of your body is being suspended by only three nails. “Please God make this stop! I cannot take this anymore!” your flesh cries.

I am not even going to inquire about the condition of your spirit. If you feel this way and your flesh is begging for mercy, then your spirit has been grieved. It has been overrun by the pressures of the world, and therefore welcoming the power of the flesh. Christ Himself even said "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). I am sure this cry has left your lips during the time of trial and suffering. But what can you do to turn this around? Your situation? No. Because this trial is not guaranteed to get any better. And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39). This is not according to your will, but The Father’s will. It is up to Him whether or not your trial shall pass. I am talking about turning around your outlook. Getting your spirit to silence the flesh. So what are you to do? As the song says:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
(“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”, Helen H. Lemmel)

If your whips belong to finances, illness, and trial, understand that some cases may be by God’s hand, some are by our own. But the fire is by His will. To refine and strengthen us in our relationship with Him, as we will learn to rely on Him. If you are saved, but cannot escape your past trespasses, you need to forgive yourself as you have been forgiven. If you are being punished by current sins, then you need to repent and nail them to the cross.

Compare yourself to what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ endured during the last moments of His life. He knew the storm. He knew the outcome. He faced it with the diligence that pushed Him to carry His cross upon His back up the mountain to Calvary, even in the state of weakened flesh. Punishing whipping crashed upon His flesh amidst insults and jeers. To the extent that He inquired as to why God had forsaken Him. But He knew that this was God’s will, and that His Father knew what He was doing. God’s glory was the purpose for this, along with saving the world from sin. You may ask, “What I am going through won’t save anyone from their sins.” My friend, if you hold to God’s promises, you will praise His name when you make it through. This will be a testimony before fallen men and sinners. Your story could very well cause a non-believer who is going through a storm to repent and accept Christ as his savior. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Even though He endured this storm, and His flesh cried out against the lashings of the whips, He managed to utter “It is finished.” (John 19:30). But not as an end all death. Remember my friends, Christ has risen. He came back to life for the glory of God. So it is not over until God gets the glory. There is a reason why you must drink from this cup. He knows the reason, and all you can do is rely on Him and lean on Him. It will soon be finished. Look upon Jesus Christ to strengthen your spirit when the flesh speaks.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7).


Love In Christ!

If your flesh is crying out, and you do not have a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, and would like to know Him, then you are ready for salvation. You must deny yourself and confess your sins, repent of your sins, and ask for forgiveness.

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23).…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:9-13). For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16).

Please pray the following prayer:

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

Not I

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
(Mark 8:34).

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…
(Romans 12:6).

I have been playing guitar for 19 years now. I will never for get the first day of my guitar lessons. My teacher told me “All the other guitar teachers like to teach you theory and all the other boring stuff. But I like to teach the good stuff.” I went home that day having learned three power chords (E5,A5,D5). My teacher didn’t want to teach me to be a musician, he wanted me to be a rock star. At the age of 12, I was liking the sound of this. Within no time I was playing AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Ozzy, etc. I wasn’t taught much about chords, scales, etc. Just power chords. Hours upon hours went into my practicing. I would practice at least an hour on weeknights, three hours on Saturday nights, and throughout the day on Sunday. I won’t even mention how much I played during the summer. By the age of 18 I was playing in bands as the rhythm/lead guitarist and main vocalist, as well as the main songwriter. I was a rock star alright…in my own little world.

Although I heard praise and awe back in the day over my playing, I never liked it. As a matter of fact, still at this time, I do not like to be praised. It’s not that I don’t feel worthy, it’s because I am humble. It’s always been my nature. But it has become increasing in my walk with Christ. I once wanted to be a superstar, now I just want to serve Him and be a family man for Him. I once wanted a mansion, now I am content in our little rental home. I once wanted elite cars, the minivan suits me fine. I am content with what I have and what I do for a living because it is here that God has placed me. Many people want me to leave my job, uproot my family, and go somewhere else. But God has me here for a reason. It is His purpose that I am here at this time. Not I, but Christ.

Anyway, onward to the guitar story! Around two weeks ago a friend of mine, Mark’s, mother passed away unexpectedly. Out of the blue, she told him that she would like for another friend of mine, Erik, and I to perform at her funeral. She then passed the next day. Back in October of last year we invited Erik and his family, and Mark and his family (with Bernice, his mother) to our home for worship and music. Erik, a former music teacher, did most of the music. Bernice never told us what she thought about it. But after her death we found out that she greatly enjoyed it and the music. So that is how we ended up being asked to perform hymns at her funeral.

“It Is Well”, “In The Garden”, and a mystery third song (later chosen to be “Amazing Grace”) were the selected songs. I knew none of these. Erik, because of his musical know how, obviously did. I knew nothing. If she would have asked for some AC/DC or Metallica, then I could have done the deed. Because I was trained to be a rock star, not a musician. I was panicking. I only had a few days to go from only knowing power chords to knowing hymns. I was determined not to give in and ask Erik go at it alone, because she requested BOTH of us. I wanted to honor her last wish.

So just three days before the service, I went out and bought a hymn book. I was already upset at this time because I realized after 19 years of playing guitar, I didn’t really know how to play guitar (or read sheet music). I spent hours mulling over these songs, trying to learn them in an impressive manner. “Oooh! They’ll like this!”, “Now that sounds awesome.” I would think to myself. But then I would observe what I was doing, and thought it stank. It just wasn’t right. The “rock star” in me was trying to sound like a rock star, and it was flopping like a fish out of water. After 19 years of having rock star poison in my veins, I didn’t know any other way. So I determined I was just going to settle for strumming the chords, and after her funeral I was going to quit playing guitar forever. I was done.

Less than 12 hours before the funeral Erik and his wife came over (they live 2 hours away, so they couldn’t come until the night before). We rehearsed…and then “magic” happened. Actually, I think Jesus was the extra man “in the fire” that night. I was so excited that I tossed and turned all night. We played the funeral, and a new creature was born in me. The rock star in me was denied and died. Now I am a hymn addict. All I want to do is play and learn hymns and glorify God, even if it just means strumming simple chords. The glory is in the words, not my guitar. Thank you Bernice for setting this up and rekindling the fire in my heart and talent. God took that fire and redirected it for Him.

The moral of the story is that we should not boast of ourselves and our desires, but allow God to lead and serve Him. My desire of being a showoff rock star stood in the way of my ability to glorify God with music. What I thought was required of me based on what I thought was important (showing off my talent) dwarfed what God wanted of me. We need to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. Step aside and let Him steer. It is not about us, but Christ. All the flashy talents and skills, smoke, mirrors, lights, and lasers means nothing to Him. Humble simplicity works best for His glory. Most guitarists with talent would call putting away all the flashy skills for simple chord strumming a demotion. I call it a promotion, because I have been called to play for Christ.

Love In Christ!

P.S. Just to clarify, I haven't listened to secular music in years. God bless!!!

The Two Twisted Truths

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:4-10).

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:1-23).


How my heart breaks when I visit other blogs and newsgroups on the internet! Anything where someone writes about our Lord, and then opinion follows, is where it happens. In the past two months my heart has been broken so much by this that I had even thought that I was wrong and I wasn’t sure I was worthy to continue my walk with Jesus. Until one night my wife’s grandfather came by for a visit. We talked about The Lord. It was a good talk. Then the following week we started our nightly devotions in the book of Romans. That’s when it all came full circle and God’s Word hit me like a ton of cinderblocks. So what is it that had broken my heart you ask? It was the two twisted truths of the bible.”…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and the thought/statement “freedom in Christ Jesus”.

Let me elaborate. A few years ago I was on delivery with a guy who was working through a temp service. This fellow claimed to be Christian, yet his actions spoke otherwise. One thing I noticed was that he smoked a lot (I know you are saying “smoking is not a sin”, but I will open that can of worms and burst your bubble at a later date). Finally at the end of the week he said “Someone told me ‘You smoke? I thought you were a Christian?’ and I said ‘Hey! We all fall short of the glory of God.’” and then he lit his cigarette. Another fellow I worked with who was also a Christian used to get into discussions about Jesus. It then would become a debate when the word “sin” was introduced. My view is that sin does matter, it does separate us from God, and it needs to die and we need to repent and be righteous. His view was that sin does not matter and because Jesus died for our sins we are automatically saved no matter what we do and we can do whatever we want in life because we have “freedom in Christ Jesus”. Can you believe this fellow told me that drinking, smoking, drug abuse, cursing, and sexual immorality is NOT a sin? Wow! Then what is?

I illustrate these two stories as examples. Over the years they have repeated themselves, only with different names and faces. But always with the same scenario: We can live how we want and do whatever we want because Jesus gives us freedom. And if that involves sin, then that’s OK because we fall short of God’s glory. Oh my! Knowing how God’s truth has been perverted like this disturbs me. Is sin OK and salvation hollow? It’s a crying shame that all you have to do is read the beginning part of Romans to find out. Further proof that “Christians” who live in sin and feel justified by it don’t actually read God’s Word.

A lot of people take these statements and run with them and ignore that it is talking about falling short of God‘s glory when we were sinners. They use it as a justified excuse to sin. My friend, if sin is justified and excusable, then why did God allow His only begotten son to be beaten, bloodied, humiliated, and crucified? It would seem pointless and would leave the world thinking “Does God even know what He is doing?” If sin is OK, then why did it get Adam and Eve kicked out of Eden and caused a chasm between man and God? If you really think sin is OK, then give your bible away, because the entire book from Genesis to Revelations says otherwise.

The reason for Christ’s death and resurrection is redemption and salvation from being lost and sinful. He freed those of us who believe in Him (in relationship and walk with) from our sins. “Freedom in Christ Jesus” means that we are free from the bondage of sin, not free to go out and sin. Yet some Christians believe otherwise.

Now if you claim you are saved, yet you live in sin and feel like your actions are justified, then what exactly were you saved from? When someone is being carried away by flood waters, and a rescuer throws them a rope, but they refuse to take the rope, do they get saved? When someone is in a burning house and a firefighter comes in to rescue, and that person hides in a closet, did he get rescued by the firefighter? You cannot claim to be saved if you are still in peril. In order to be saved, you have to acknowledge the peril and cry out for help. When you recognize that sin has enslaved you and has destroyed you, then you cry out for Christ’s salvation. You cannot claim to be saved if you are still being swept downstream. So if you think that you are free, yet continue to sin, then you are sadly mistaken.

Another view we can take on the “freedom case” is simply the results of sin. It got Adam and Eve ejected from Eden. It caused the entire world to be flooded. It caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It caused a chasm between man and God that could only be corrected by the bloodshed of God’s only son. Do you hate something so much that you would sacrifice your own child to save people from it?

If you believe that “freedom in Christ Jesus” means that you can live life by your own path, without seeking God’s direction, without being righteous, without edifying yourself by His Word and works, without surrender and obedience to God through Jesus, and you believe that falling short of God’s glory is an allowance to sin, then think of it this way:

Man sinned since Adam and Eve. Since then man had a hard time living by God’s standard and following God. Maybe God seemed like a distant being. Maybe it was hard to believe in what you could not see. But nonetheless man continued to sin and fall from God. Man fell short of God’s glory. Then God revealed Himself to us in the form of a man. We could see God, feel God, and hear Him speak. The veil that separated us from God was torn. We now have a direct link to God. Jesus is our advocate in Heaven.
But, with your view, you are saying that God sent Jesus to die to automatically save us from our sins. That we could go on to live with reckless abandon because His death gave us freedom to keep doing as we please. This is implying that God said “I can’t get them to listen to me. So I’ll send my son to die for them so that they can keep sinning, but be automatically forgiven of their sins”. In other words God gave up and let man have his way. Man defeated God.
It’s kind of like giving man a “Get out of Hell Free” card. Or telling a repeat criminal that they are free to go because the legal system is tired of putting up with their crimes. Go on thief. Go on rapist. Go on dealer. Go on DUI champion. We’ll turn a blind eye and ignore it. If you believe that this is God’s truth, then I suggest you read or re-read the bible. As all bible believing Christians will agree, God hates sin and wants us to live an obedient and righteous life. Reading the four gospels we learn from Jesus how to live, and Paul’s letters to the churches is a further illustration on how we should live accordingly. I can assure you, being that I do read and study my bible in several translations, that I have never seen any writing that says that sinning is OK and justified with God. And if you know of any writing that says otherwise, please let me know in the comments section of this blog so that we can publicly discuss it before the other readers and get other points of view.

So, in closing, I urge you to continue reading and studying God’s Word. Make it first and foremost. Meditate and pray on what you read and seek God’s guidance. And never believe in the lie…”God loves the world and all of it’s worldliness so much that He gave His only begotten son so that we can automatically be forgiven of all we have done and will do. That whoever believes in Him may go on living in sin and lust, with total reckless abandon, in whatever way we want. Because He came to allow the world to carry on in Satan’s ways, but being justified in doing so. We all fall short of God’s glory because man cannot help himself. So keep on sinning because we cannot change and God doesn’t expect us to, because He gave up on trying to convince us to be righteous. So don’t worry, get drunk and be merry.” (John 3:16.7.89.34/5.1@78%, Revised Standard Americanized British Edition)… (an obvious altered view of John 3:16).

Love In Christ

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption (redeeming of sins) that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26).
(My emphasis added).